Where the national poet breathed his last
One's interest may pique after seeing that Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University's (BSMMU) B-Block doesn't have a single patient or attendant walking the halls.
That's because the block is dedicated to serving a different purpose -- preserving the testaments of Nazrul's last breath.
In 1942, at the age of 43, Kazi Nazrul Islam was affected with Pick's disease, a kind of dementia that affects the brain cells, eventually making one lose the abilities that those areas once controlled. For Nazrul, it was his hearing.
In the last stages of his life, on May 24, 1972, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman brought Nazrul to the newly born Bangladesh and titled him the country's national poet.
House 330/B at Old Dhanmondi 28 was prepared for Nazrul's arrival, to keep him comfortable. And suitably so, the house was then titled "Kabi Bhaban (poet's house)", as it accommodated the poet for more than three years.
After that, Nazrul was taken to BSMMU's (then PG Hospital) Cabin 117 in B-Block, where he spent the last year of his life in treatment, before his demise.
Visiting the site, this correspondent saw that the same cabin is decorated with pictures of the poet and some of the utensils he used. Entering the cabin, the visitor's eyes will be drawn to a cot, the same where the rebellious poet's frail body had lain.
Above the tidied bed is an oil painting, one where Bangabandhu is greeting the national poet with a flower garland.
An antique tea table and chair that was used by Nazrul during his time there have also been preserved. And in front of that is a dressing table, whose mirror captured Nazrul's last reflection.
There is also a bust of Nazrul in the memorial room. The walls are adorned with the poet's photographs and paintings from different periods. The memorial room also has pictures of the covers of some of Nazrul's books.
BSMMU Vice-Chancellor Prof Md Sharfuddin said the then director general of the health department, Major A Chowdhury, was involved in the national poet's treatment at various times.
Later, national professor Dr Nurul Islam, Dr Nazimuddaula, Dr Ashiqur Rahman Khan, and others were also involved.
Dr Bayezid Khan gave Nazrul homeopathic treatment with Bangabandhu's permission.
Nurse Shamsunnahar and helping-hand Wahidullah Bhuiyan were also involved in providing the poet round-the-clock care at the time.
"BSMMU's Cabin 117 is will remain open as a memorial museum for the rebel poet. It is a place where Bangalees bid adieu to a revolutionary leader, whose words awakened the rebellious spirit," said the vice chancellor.
Comments